In the last week of September 2025, prices of acetic acid in China increased by roughly 3%, aided by lower operating rates at Chinese plants, limited supply, and slow pre-holiday restocking from downstream sectors like acetic anhydride, PTA, and VAM. The active trading was sustained by healthy domestic demand and firm sentiment, and stable methanol feedstock prices contributed to the firm market. In the U.S. acetic acid market, most prices remained stable after prior monthly declines, as adequate supply of acetic acid with somewhat subdued demand kept things balanced. Exports from the U.S. to Europe and Mexico remained moderate, while Chinese export activities remained strong to Asia and Europe. Moving forward, analysts anticipated a somewhat firm China market after returning from the holidays, but U.S. markets would likely continue to stabilize as downstream consumption in important end-use sectors remained steady, albeit weak.
Selenis has effectively manufactured recycled PET chips using terephthalic acid sourced from Circ®, a textile-to-textile recycler based in Virginia. The chip production took place through a series of batches at Selenis' pilot plant in San-Giorgio, Italy. By utilizing inputs recovered from polycotton textile waste, Selenis has created high-quality PET chip, which has been further processed into DTY yarn. This yarn will play a crucial role in product development as Circ prepares for additional capsule launches. Selenis is leveraging the success of this initial collaboration phase and is committed to advancing towards an offtake partnership to support Circ's inaugural industrial facility.
Eduardo Santos, Head of Corporate Strategy at Selenis, remarked that the monomer synthesis showed a performance comparable to virgin terephthalic acid. He expressed optimism about the consistent quality of Circ's monomer output and anticipated future commercial success. Santos pointed out that the Circ partnership complements Selenis's existing mission and goals for a more sustainable textile industry. He further stated their anticipation of expanding upon this collaboration and providing support for Circ's forthcoming commercial production trials.
